Integration of a rule-based expert system with GIS through a relational database management system for forest resource management

Abstract

The USDA Forest Service and Texas A&M University have jointly developed an integrated software package to assist district level personnel in project planning. It is called INFORMS-TX (Integrated Forest Resource Management System for National Forests in Texas). One of the main thrusts of INFORMS-TX is the integration of a rule-based expert system with a commercial geographic information system (GIS) through the use of a relational database management system (RDBMS). The rule-bases are developed in CLIPS, an expert system shell designed by NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration). ARC/INFO from ESRI (Environmental Systems Research Institute) is the GIS component and ORACLE is the choice for RDBMS. This system allows forest personnel to access ARC/INFO procedures to query and define a project area in a user friendly environment. Heuristic rule-bases can then be selected and applied to pertinent spatial data layers such as compartments or forest stands of the project area. The results generated by the rule-bases are stored in the database and are used to assist in silvicultural decision making. This software integration greatly enhances the use of geographically oriented resource data and knowledge accumulated from Forest Service experts to assist in project planning, alternative development and environmental assessment.